


Fauna Flair

by GoodlynneGhastly



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Animal Traits, Drama, Love triangle turns into healthy polyamory, M/M, Romance, deceit is here later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 18:21:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodlynneGhastly/pseuds/GoodlynneGhastly
Summary: What's this? Why it's an au set in the castles and carriages period(what do we even call that period, think Beauty and the Beast, that time period, I'm writing this summary at 3am so sue me for not researching, my eyes are tired and I feel like death) complete with actual Prince Roman and an immense amount of gay. In this universe, there are individuals with animal qualities, some of which are physical. Some are seen as desirable, with strong traits and characteristics. They often live the good life. But not everyone has it easy, see Virgil. Now /he's/ a real black sheep. Skittish and sarcastic with a real bad habit of making things worse-How did he ever manage to end up in the palace walls during one of the biggest celebrations of the year? He just wanted to go home, leave the baker Patton there and hole himself up in his room. It should also be known that some of the citizens have extraordinary abilities, some they would like to keep quiet. Multiship with some Deceit lovin on the side.





	1. Chapter 1

Prince Roman Leopald Augustus Clancy Julius Markus Charming is as fanciful as he is tardy. And if you were to take his tutor's word for it, you would know that he had quite a knack for showing up terribly late for his lessons; some days he wouldn't show at all! 

"He has his head stuck so far up in the clouds it's a wonder he didn't have a trace of giraffe in him." Is what his eldest brother would say whenever he believed the younger was out of earshot. Hint: he wasn't. You'd think he'd find some new bashing material, but as fresh ideas went his brother had slim pickings.

Roman never quite got along with his older brothers. Or most of his siblings for that matter. Only the young ones gave him the time of day. They hadn't yet been taught better.

There was reason for that.

A petty reason, but a reason nonetheless.

Roman's father was not the King. No, he had not been a powerful buck with impressive antlers and numerous points. He had been a proud and graceful...

Peacock.

And as his mother was a doe, it made for an interesting mix. Yes he had the antlers, as large and in charge as they may be; he also had a train of feathers, with bright and radiant plumage that trailed behind him where ever he may go. 

Roman was both proud of them and ashamed. 

Proud because they were absolutely gorgeous, how they shimmered and shone in the light. Yet ashamed of what they gave away. His mother's affairs and himself-the product of said affair. It always weighed heavily on him. And to combat that he pushed himself, to become the best there ever was.

He was stronger than his other siblings, graceful too. Able to hold himself up high in most situations. And let's not forget: he was most definitely charming. 

Yet it seemed that no matter what he did, no matter what foes he conquered or what great deed he performed-it was never enough for his family. All but his mother. She understood him best. Better than anyone. 

She was sweet and kind and so near and dear to his heart. He would do anything for her, just to see her smile.

But not this.

"This is ridiculous-mother!" He bleated, that feathered train of his fanning out and nearly smacking into one of her poor ladies in waiting. "I don't want to do the throwing ceremony-the second those flowers leave my antlers they'll... they'll land on some wretched old duke or-or a cat lady! And not the aesthetically pleasing kind!"

The queen tsked from behind the curtain. "It's not as though you'll be stuck with them forever. It's tradition. You'll only need to go but on one outing with them. It's all up to you from then on."

"You say that, and yet the entire kingdom immediately starts treating it as though it is permanent. As though the two are engaged. Like with cousin Charlie!" He huffed, looking over to the vanity. "And you could have told me of it before the day of the ball..."

She laughed, appearing from behind the curtain, small antlers covered in gold and jewels. "If I did that you would have ran off."

"Me? Run off? Never!"

The Queen laid a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head with a warm smile. "I know my children, Roman. Now, go get cleaned up, the festivities are going to begin shortly."

Roman frowned, knowing he was stuck in this. 

"Oh cheer up, I had the planner hire that baker whose pastries you enjoy so much."

"You know what? All is forgiven. I'll attend the ball. I'll do the... silly ceremony. So long as I get my hands on those delectable treats."  
\----  
Patton had quite literally screamed once he got the letter a whole two weeks prior. Which made Virgil bust out of his room with a pan ready to whail on an assailant-until he realized it was just Patton being... Patton.

Virgil had never planned on becoming an apprentice, much less to a baker. But it wasn't as though he had much of a choice. No one wanted a black sheep. And as cruel as that seemed, Virgil was perfectly fine with it. He enjoyed being in his comfortable bubble. The bakery had been a safe place for him, since he was young.  And when things got... dicey Patton extended a hand to him.

And he took it. For once. So far he hasn't regretted it.

Patton was the last person he had that he considered family now. After all, they used to play together when they were but little things.

He couldn't be luckier.

Sometimes however, the dog got him into some uncomfortable situations even when he had the best intentions. Like baking sweets for an entire ball of four hundred people in the castle. 

They were both covered in flour and sugar and sweat. Patton's smile never once left his face. He was enjoying this. It was a great opportunity. A chance to better his bakery. Get more customers. 

Make more people happy, even for just a moment.

It was hard not to be happy around Patton, and for good reason. He had a gift. Able to influence another's emotions just by being within a certain range of them. And sometimes it transferred into the things he made.

Suffice to say, the ball goers were a very happy bunch. Good. 

Virgil took a break to clean himself up, wiping his hands on his apron. He hated having wool. He really should have trimmed it shorter for the summer months. Even if it was just a little poof on his chest and around his neck. Baking was hard, sweaty work.

The door to the kitchen opened, a servant stepped in. "One of the servers is indisposed at the moment-may I borrow the sheep lad?"

Patton looked to Virgil, "Oh-it's up to him, but I wouldn't mind."

Virgil was on high alert. He did not want to leave the kitchen. Not his bubble. "Are you sure?"

Before Patton could say anything, the servant was already handing Virgil a tray of cookies. He didn't like this, he could see so many ways that this could end badly. But he was already being made presentable. They couldn't have a sweaty, flour covered server walking about the ballroom now.  
\--  
As Roman's tutor, Logan was of course invited. Usually he wouldn't bother, but this might be the only opportunity he would get to talk to the prince about his studies.

He stood by the thrones, sipping on wine and watching the festivities unfold. There had already been an announcement, and now a ring of flowers was being set in Roman's antlers. Loosely of course. 

Ah, he had heard of this tradition. Trivial really. What point did it serve in the grand scheme of things anyhow. First started as a game at some royal wedding a good century ago. The bride had been given a flower necklace by a suitor-at her own wedding, so scandalous-and to avoid confrontation she said she would throw it, and whoever it landed on she would wed instead. Of course it landed on the groom, in the many retellings. But in the original it landed on a servant girl that the bride just so happened to be rumored to have relations with.

Then the game was passed down. Over the years they dropped the mandatory "you must wed whomever it may land on" as with that rule it made it more likely for participants to cheat. And to avoid scrutiny it was no longer played by those actually being wed, but those coming of age.

Like Prince Roman. Eighteen years was a big accomplishment.

The music was low, there were whispers. Logan could hear it all. Roman was facing away from the amassed crowd of attendants. Eligible bachelors and bachelorettes and all manner more alike.

Logan hoped bitterly that the flowers would hit some sap in the face. Serve Roman right for ignoring his scholarly duties.

The prince reared his head back and the ring of flowers went flying, soaring through the air. Over the crowd, to the end of the ballroom, where the kitchen doors were just opening.  
\--  
Virgil backed into the ballroom with the tray in hand, pushing the heavy wooden doors open. He looked down once on the other side, turning to face the room as he checked to ensure nothing had toppled over. That was the last thing he needed right now. To make a giant mess.

And then he felt something light fall on his shoulders, a faint perfume filling his nose. He blinked, looking to the flower ring that now decorated his neck.

When he looked up, he was shocked and somewhat confused to find the entire ballroom staring back at him.

"... What just happened?" He asked quietly to himself.  
\--  
Roman turned, fingers crossed at his sides. He followed the flowers with his gaze, stopping when they did.

"Oh." It was a servant boy. One he... kind of recognized. Had he seen him before? 

He couldn't place it, but at least... he was cute?


	2. Chapter 2

If you thought Virgil was just going to stand there and allow himself to be ogled like a circus act while the Prince approached him, you were very dearly wrong. No. Virgil was not about to do that. Forget that noise. He just shoved the serving tray into the nearest person's hands and booked it right back into the kitchen like his life depended on it. And to poor Virgil here it most certainly did.

Two fluffy ears perked up at the sound of Virgil's entrance. "Well that was fast! You sure you don't have a spot of cheetah in you-" Patton turned around, eyes lighting up when he saw the flowers. The baker gasped, the now forgotten icing bag becoming squeezed in his hands. It was a sweet and messy situation. He was getting it all over his hands and fingers and hardly noticed. "Ooooooh!" His smile couldn't get any more wider or giddy. "You caught the flowers!"

Virgil didn't know what the hell Patton was talking about. He didn't know an ounce about politics or anything of that sort.

"I didn't catch them, they landed on me!" Virgil, the poor sheep, was still in a panic. Even going as far as to board the kitchen door and start pushing one of the cabinets in front of it. He wasn't strong though, so he was... struggling.

"Ooh! That's even better!" Patton tossed the bag down, wiping his hands on his apron as he came over. It didn't solve his sticky finger situation, not completely. "Virgil that's so lucky!"

"If you could only see what I am right now, you wouldn't be saying that." He gave up on the cabinet, whipping off his apron like it offended him. "What does-" he grabbed the flowers, pulling them away from him. "-this even mean!?"

"It means, you silly goose, that by tradition the Prince and you now have to go out on a date!"

"Oh barf!" Virgil took the flower necklace off of him, scowling. "I don't even know the Prince! Any of them! I'm not good with that stuff!"

"It'll just be for one day, nothing is set in stone. It's not like you're going to be marrying him after one day together. They changed that ages ago.... Aaaaand I'd like to think you're smarter than that..." Patton grabbed Virgil's hands, prying his fingers off the delicate flowers so he couldn't mangle them. "But ooohh, it'll be so romantic if you two did hit it off!"

"You know me and romance doesn't go over all that well." He scoffed, loosening his grip. "I don't like this, Pat."

"Well sonny, I'm sorry. But there's not much I can do. I can't argue with the King and Queen about this. It's an honored tradition and I'm just a baker. A baker who would really like to keep his head right where it is." 

"And a baker with sticky fingers." Virgil commented, leaving the flower necklace alone. They were kind of pretty. Not his favorite though. 

Patton giggled, "I'm aware."

The sheep was now eyeing the kitchen door suspiciously, contemplating on if that pan hanging on the wall would make for a worthy weapon to defend himself if need be.  
\--  
And meanwhile, on the other side of the door....

Prince Roman was dazed, flustered. Ego bruised. The door might as well have slammed in his face. The nerve of some people. He had never gotten such a reaction before, not from anyone. And well, as versed in the ways of romance as he proclaimed himself to be, he was still quite... bewildered.

He could hear snickering. Oh the bloody rumor mill was going to have a field day with this one.

"Ha... heh, poor thing mustn't be used to being approached with such confidence!" He laughed it off. Yes, that was definitely it. Roman gave the door a little shove, pausing before giving it a little jiggle. It wasn't budging. The damn sheep went and locked the door.

A guard approached, "Would you like for me to handle it, your highness?"

Roman knew from experience that that would make things worse. He brought his hands up, "No, no, no, no!" He shook his head wildly, "That won't be necessary! I ah, I have this all under control!"

He did not have it under control. 

"Please! Return to the festivities! I shall deal with this on my own, thank you."

And he slipped away, awkwardly. That long train of feathers didn't make slinking around easy on him. He was going to go through the servant's entrance to get to the kitchen. He's run amuck through the old servants corridors so much as a little thing that he practically knew them like the back of his hand. 

Back by the thrones the Queen leaned to her side, catching the tutor-who had been drinking this whole situation in and almost reveling in the Prince's discomfort-off guard. Logan looked to her, lowering his gaze out of respect.

"Do go see to it that Roman handles things... delicately." She instructed.

"I was unaware that prince sitting was in my job description, but very well." For an owl he was certainly catty. He could easily blame the wine.  
\--  
Virgil was trying to think of a plan to get himself out of this mess. So many things could go terribly wrong, he could see it. Literally, he could see it. Every what if, every possible outcome, every chance, plot, or ploy-he saw them all.

They didn't all come true. He knew that. But the possibility was enough.

Patton was one of the few who could help him ease up in times like these, when his 'gift' was running rampant. 

"Virgil, buddy. Everything is going to be fine! Trust me!"

"I do trust you! I do!" He was fisting his hair, pacing the room. Paying no mind to the shifting panel on the wall, one Patton noticed all too clearly. "It's just that-well-this is all a little too much!"

Leaving the bakery was one thing. Attending a ball was another. Having to actually interact with some pompous prince? Strike him down now.

This wasn't the time for surprises. Virgil was too high strung. Patton could hear his pulse from there, thudding in his ears. The baker abandoned his post, reaching Virgil just as the Prince appeared through the hidden door.

Roman hacked, waving the dust away from his teary eyes. It had been a long while since anyone had used that route. 

Being so preoccupied in his nerve filled rant, Virgil wasn't expecting any sort of noise to come from right behind him. It startled him. The young man stiffened up, knees feeling like static. Numb and limp. He would barely remember hearing the prince announce his arrival before his world went black. He wouldn't feel his fall, nor the scratchy fabric of Patton's shirt.

Luckily his friend caught him. 

Patton held Virgil, scolding Prince Roman with sudden confidence, "I know you didn't know, but-ooooo-by golly, you really aught to be a little more considerate of this sort of thing! You can't just-come up behind people so quietly!" Okay, so this wasn't scolding, more like... Patton trying not to actually upset anyone while also-you know, scratch that. It's just Patton being Patton.

"Did he-" Roman looked at the two, "He fainted at the sight of me-I don't know whether to feel flattered or offended."

"Considering it was the sound of you coming through that startled him, I'd say he didn't even see you before the actual fainting commenced." Came Logan, right behind him. The male, who had dressed and groomed himself accordingly for the day's activities, kind of... made Patton's heart skip a beat. 

"Oh boy."

He just looked so scholarly and wise-and the glasses suited him so well. Patton's tail couldn't stop wagging despite the circumstances. And despite being so worried for his friend.

Roman's tail fanned out, feathers puffed up almost immediately as he jumped, turning his head to size the tutor up, "Did you really feel the need to follow me?" He spat, glowering at him.

If Roman knew anything about true love and fairytales, he was supposed to be saving the day and kissing this fair (maiden) baker's apprentice awake right about now. He didn't have time for a lecture on geography. Or whatever Logan taught.

"I'd rather be grading your papers, but as you have neglected your studies thus far, that can't happen."

Patton, smiling awkwardly, was starting to struggle under Virgil's dead weight. "This conversation can wait, don't you think? Uh, you two. Your highness and you-my prince." He laughed, the sound dying off, "Can I please get some help here?"

Patton didn't know why he was suddenly so nervous.

He reasoned that it was only because he was worried for his friend.

Or, you know, he remembered that this was literal royalty standing right in front of him and he was probably making things much worse.

"Ah yes! Of course, allow me."


End file.
